In a time when airlines are going bust, it is great to see a new airline come into existence. Recently, we wrote about Vietnam’s latest new airline, Bamboo Airways. Now, Denmark will be welcoming a new carrier soon.

Called “Great Dane Airlines,” the airline will base its operations out of Aalborg, a city at the northern tip of Denmark.
Great Dane Airlines will be flying Embraer E195 aircraft on routes to leisure destinations out of Aalborg.
Aalborg is one of Denmark’s underserved gateways with direct flights to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Malaga, London, Oslo, and Barcelona. As Denmark’s fourth-largest city with a population of just over 215,000, Great Dane Airlines is looking to improve access to and from northern Denmark.

They have indicated the first routes will be flown to Dublin, Edinburgh, and Nice.

Should these routes perform well, Great Dane Airlines would like to also introduce service from Copenhagen and Billund. Great Dane Airlines is also looking to capitalize on the leisure market and introduce future flights to places like Crete, Mallorca, Rhodes, and Varna.
For now, however, they are looking to start small and gradually grow bigger. This is, perhaps, smart as many airlines have struggled with rapid expansion and difficult financials due to high fuel prices among other concerns.

With E195 aircraft, Great Dane Airlines is looking to fly 118 passengers for low fares from Aalborg. To go to Nice, Great Dane Airlines is looking to charge only €69 one way. Like many airlines, Great Dane Airlines will introduce a basic economy kind of fare with limited seating and luggage options in addition to more full-service fares that include luggage and seating options. Many airlines benefit from these ancillary revenues and it looks like Great Dane Airlines intends to do the same.

Tickets are intended to go on sale starting from March 5, 2019 as per their website, which looks like this:

The website already has some basic contact information up, so it looks like Great Dane Airlines is moving forward with their launch. It will be interesting to see how Great Dane Airlines markets their flights. So far, their website is very minimal and their online presence is difficult to find. However, it does seem like there has been some media buzz surrounding the launch of the new carrier.

Overall
Managed correctly, Great Dane Airlines really could be a niche carrier that performs well. It does not seem like Great Dane Airlines has rapid expansion plans, which is good since these kinds of plans have troubled neighboring carrier Norwegian.

Should Great Dane Airlines seek to expand, it seems their low-cost model could be the way to go with expanding service to underserved leisure markets.

Granted, this would be a difficult market since there are plenty of options throughout Europe, however direct service out of northern Denmark is scarce.

We will watch and see how Great Dane Airlines turns out with their launch and wish them the best of luck as they expand air connectivity to northern Denmark.

An Emirates Airbus A380-800, registration A6-EDL performing flight EK-15 from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to London Gatwick,EN (UK), was on final approach to Gatwick's runway 26L at 11:56L (11:56Z) when the crew initiated a go around at about 1300 feet MSL due to weather. The aircraft entered a hold for about 20 minutes, then decided to divert to Manchester,EN (UK) and declared emergency due to low fuel. The aircraft landed safely on Manchester's runway 23R about 65 minutes after the go around.

The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Manchester for 27 hours, then continued flight EK-15 to Gatwick reaching Gatwick with a delay of about 28.5 hours.

On Feb 15th 2019 the UK AAIB reported the occurrence was rated a serious incident (editorial note: signifying the aircraft landed with less than the required fuel reserve), an investigation was opened. The AAIB wrote: "During diversion to AD Manchester / Int'l for meteorological conditions, crew declared a fuel emergency MAYDAY."

Bombardier said its decision to certify a 50-seat variant of its 70-seat CRJ700 reflects the intricacies of US airlines' pilot contracts and an expectation that carriers must soon replace hundreds of older 50-seat jets.
The Montreal-based company is now working on certifying the variant, which it calls the CRJ550, and United Airlines will be the first carrier to operate the type, Bombardier and United said on 6 February.
United plans to operate 50 CRJ550s, all of which will be converted to the new derivative from used CRJ700s.
The CRJ550 will have a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 65,000lb (29,500kg) – 10,000lb less than the CRJ700, notes the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA), which represents United's pilots. That MTOW reduction will enable the CRJ550, once certified, to meet the definition of a 50-seat jet under the terms of United's contract with pilots, ALPA notes.
"In order to be in compliance with the United pilot agreement, the CRJ550 will instead be configured with 50 seats in a two-class cabin and certified to a maximum takeoff weight of 65,000 pounds," says ALPA.
Bombardier expects the CRJ550 will receive certification within the second half of 2019, it says. Even with reduced MTOW, the CRJ550 will retain the capabilities of a 50-seat jet, Antoine Chereau, Bombardier director of Americas marketing, tells FlightGlobal.
Fred Cromer, Bombardier president of commercial aircraft, calls the CRJ550 "the only solution in North America" capable of replacing more than 700 50-seaters.
Indeed, US regional airlines operate 738 CRJ100/200s and Embraer 145s, most flown for major US carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, according to Flight Fleets Analyzer. Those aircraft have an average age of 16 years and have completed an average of roughly 30,000 flight cycles each, data shows.
Replacement options are limited largely because no 50-seat jets have been in production since Bombardier and Embraer shifted to manufacturing larger jets more than a decade ago.
The idea to create a 50-seater by taking seats out of a larger aircraft is not new, but has been complicated by so-called scope closes in pilot contracts.
Those clauses define the types and number of regional aircraft that major carriers' partners can operate – hence United's 65,000lb MTOW limit for 50-seat jets.
The CRJ700 is best suited – at least among competing large regional aircraft – to fly as a 50-seater due to its relatively light takeoff weight, Chereau says.
"The CRJ is the lightest in its category," he says.
Bombardier has not disclosed specific sales forecasts, but views the CRJ550 as a "first step" toward a potential bump in CRJ demand.
In addition to selling new CRJ550s, Bombardier expects demand for replacement CRJ700s will increase as airlines like United convert old CRJ700s into the new 50-seat variant, says Chereau.
United's pilot union generally supports development of the CRJ550, noting it will replace 50-seat jets that customers "disdain" for being cramped.
But ALPA questions the move's long-term economic viability.
"The verdict on whether this product is a short-term band aid or a long-term solution will hinge on the company's ability to adequately make up for the revenue lost due to the removal of 20 seats," ALPA says.
Embraer also sees demand for replacements of 50-seat jets, but believes used aircraft – including E170s – will fill the need, not new aircraft.
It also estimates demand for 50-seat jet replacements to be substantially less than the 700-plus figure cited by Bombardier.
Embraer notes American Airlines' pilot contract defines small jets more broadly, as having 50-76 seats and MTOW up to 86,000lb.
As a result, American can replace 50-seaters with larger aircraft like 76-seaters, says Embraer.
American's regional partners operate about 150 50-seat jets, Fleets Analyzer shows.
The bulk of the remaining US-operated small jets fly for United and Delta -- both subject to the 65,000lb MTOW limit.
But used aircraft could replace half those aircraft, leaving little demand for new 50-seaters, Embraer says.
"As airlines continue to buy new E175 to replace older 70-seaters (E170 and CRJ700), those will become available in the market for very attractive prices," says Embraer. The company says a 50-seat E170 has a wider cabin than a CRJ and can, even when limited to a 65,000lb MTOW, perform missions flown by dedicated 50-seat jets.
The Brazilian company is discussing new-technology options with airlines but has not reached conclusions, it says.
"In the long term we believe there will be more efficient solutions to address this market," Embraer says.